Changing Course
by LexusGrey
Summary: Dahlia changes her mind about deceiving Cara. Dahlia/Kahlan/Cara


Dahlia was prepared to carry out her orders. She was prepared to lure Cara away from her new 'friends' with lies about a son still alive. She was prepared to call upon her fellow Mord-Sith to assist her in Cara's capture and transport to the People's Palace.

Until she laid eyes on Cara, and everything changed. She had immediately fallen to her knees, begging forgiveness for what she had been about to do, and upon being pulled to her feet by the Confessor, she thought her life was over.

"We don't kneel at each others' feet here," Kahlan said gently. "We are all equals."

Dahlia had hurriedly told them in which direction the other Mord-Sith were lying in wait, and insisted that they ride away immediately, in case her sisters tired of waiting and came to see what was taking so long.

Cara remained silent, choosing to let Kahlan do all the talking, until they mounted their horses, and she turned hers around, trotting up beside the Confessor's. "I liked her kneeling at my feet."

Kahlan ignored the inapropriate remark and reached a hand out to Dahlia.

Eyes flicking back and forth between the two women, Dahlia swallowed and finally spoke. "I would prefer to ride with Cara."

"I'm sorry, did the Mother Confessor ask you who you'd prefer to ride with?" Cara asked, in that 'it pains me how stupid you are' tone of voice she often used.

"Cara," Kahlan said disapprovingly.

"What?" Cara asked.

Kahlan should have been used to it by now, the way Cara asked for explanations of scoldings when she should have been able to infer their meanings. "You're being rude to our guest."

"Our guest?" Cara snorted, folding her hands primly over the pommel of her saddle. "The guest who came here with the intention to capture me and re-break me? Why am I not surprised you would take up her cause." She urged her horse forward and grabbed Dahlia's hand, helping her up into the saddle despite the desire to pawn her off on Kahlan.

Dahlia's arms immediately went around Cara's waist, hands settling on her stomach, chest pressed to her back. "I've missed you," she whispered reverently.

Cara wanted to snap that she couldn't say the same, but in truth, she thought of Dahlia sometimes, and when she did, there was a slight pang of regret at her absence. So she said nothing.

They stopped for the night at a fancy inn, because Dahlia insisted on paying for luxurious lodgings for all of them, in a show of repentance for her intended deceit.

Richard and Kahlan wanted to decline, but Zedd and Cara quickly won that battle, and so at the fancy inn they stayed.

They ate a hearty supper, and then the three women went to the baths - a separate building with a recessed bathing pool filled with warm water. Not unlike the baths in a Mord-Sith temple, but slightly less grandiose.

Dahlia and Cara undressed themselves swiftly, folding their leathers and placing them neatly on chairs, with their boots resting underneath. Dahlia's corset and neck guard were laid on top of her leathers. Once naked, Dahlia removed the tie from her braid and worked it free with dextrous fingers, combing through it once, then set the tie on top of her neck guard.

Kahlan found it fascinating to watch. They had obviously been trained in the art of removing their clothing. When both turned to look at her questioningly, she turned away, realizing she had been caught staring.

Dahlia stepped forward. "Mother Confessor, do you wish help in removing your dress?"

"No, thank you," Kahlan stammered, hands going to the laces of her white Confessor's dress and fumbling for a moment before loosing the ties.

"Did you really just ask the Mother Confessor if she wished help in removing her dress?" Cara snorted, elbowing Dahlia in the ribs and then jumping into the middle of the pool, making a raucous splash.

Several women already bathing made sour faces and moved to the opposite end of the pool, away from the Mord-Sith. And when Cara rose slowly out of the water, head tilted back, droplets making their way down her smooth, tanned skin, a languid, indecent moan of appreciation leaving her lips, the women hurried their bathing along.

"Come on, Kahlan," she teased, splashing some water over the edge of the pool, making Kahlan jump back to keep her boots dry.

Kahlan frowned at her and continued undressing in silence.

Dahlia slid into the pool in a much more refined manner, sinking beneath the water to wet her kinked hair and smooth it out. She did not like the way it looked when just released from its braid, and preferred to weigh it down with water right away.

The other women completed their baths and left almost hastily, draping silk robes around themselves as they went. Cara and Dahlia didn't notice. Kahlan did.

Cara and Dahlia ended up in one corner of the pool, and had already washed their bodies by the time Kahlan entered the bath. Cara tossed her a jar of soap and luckily she caught it, since it would have made quite the head wound had she missed. She gave Cara a look and turned away to wash herself.

While the Confessor's back was turned, Dahlia moved closer to Cara, speaking in the barest of whispers. "Please, don't shut me out."

Cara raised an eyebrow. "I thought I'd be the one accused of going soft."

"Please," Dahlia said again, just as quietly, stepping closer yet, into Cara's space, the tip of one hard nipple brushing the blonde's upper arm.

"Oh, is that what you meant?" Cara asked, her grin lecherous. "I can give you that, Dahlia. You know that's never been a problem."

"You always could make me scream the loudest," Dahlia said nostalgically.

"Mm," Cara agreed. "If I ever wanted you quiet, I had to gag you."

Dahlia's eyelids fluttered with memories. "And even then, I could still wake our sisters."

Cara's grin widened. "Your mouth is going to make the Mother Confessor blush. Perhaps we should wait."

Dahlia sought Cara's hand, brought it to her lips. "I don't want to wait," she whispered, sucking a finger into her mouth. "And since when have you cared about making another blush?"

"You don't want to wait," Cara said wryly, shaking her head. "Still no patience, Dahlia? It never was your strong suit." Her arm fell into the water, hand finding its way to the curls between Dahlia's legs. She took a few between thumb and forefinger and tugged lightly, making Dahlia moan.

Kahlan turned at the sound, and her heart slammed into her ribcage. She turned back away, quickly, her face flushed, breathing hitched. She should have expected it. Mord-Sith had no modesty, and on top of that, they were in a communal bath. While she tried to be offended, she realized that the sight would not affect her so if there was not something of it she liked. She knew she had often wondered what Cara's hands would feel like on her body. She just hadn't known how much seeing the blonde's hands on someone else would affect her. Not in a jealous way, of course, just... stimulating. It stimulated her imagination, which in turn stimulated her body. She gripped the edge of the bath to keep her hands away from herself.

When Cara's fingers finally parted her folds and slipped inside her, Dahlia's moans grew louder and more constant. No one was as skilled at this as her former lover, and her sense memory knew those fingers, knew what they were capable of, and her body anticipated every move.

Cara worked effortlessly, watching Kahlan over Dahlia's shoulder. Watching the muscles in her back ripple with tension. Watching her clutch the edge of the bath. Watching her _want _something. She would not have expected the Mother Confessor to have such a reaction at seeing her do this. She would have expected anger, or at the very least, an affronted aire.

"You're watching her," Dahlia whispered, gently biting Cara's shoulder as she rolled her hips. "Do you wish you could touch her?"

"Yes," Cara grunted softly, pressing her fingers deeper into Dahlia.

"The Cara I know would have taken what she wanted," Dahlia urged her on, another long, low moan forcing its way out when Cara thrust harder in response to her taunting. She looked over her shoulder, grinning at the position Kahlan was in. "Look at her, Cara. She's dying for you to show her how good you are at this."

Kahlan snuck a furtive glance to the side, catching Dahlia looking at her, and blushed darker, turning back away.

"You can come closer, Mother Confessor," Dahlia purred, throwing her head back and groaning deeply as Cara pushed another finger into her.

"Shh," Cara cautioned, shaking her head.

Trembling, Kahlan let go of the wall and took a few shaky steps backward, without turning to face the Mord-Sith.

Cara's lips pursed, her eyes wide and intense, boring into Kahlan's back. Certainly she was not going to rise to Dahlia's challenge?

Kahlan moved to the side wall instead, and stopped halfway to the end.

"Closer," Dahlia beckoned, giving another moan as Cara's thumb found her clit, and when Kahlan took two more steps, she purred out a laugh. "Closer."

Another two steps, and she was close enough for Dahlia to reach out and grab. Fingers closed tightly around the Confessor's elbow and she pulled Kahlan up against her back, thrilling at the Confessor's gasp of muted surprise.

Kahlan didn't know what to do with herself, so she stood pressed against Dahlia's back, breathing hard, her hands going awkwardly to the Mord-Sith's waist.

Cara shifted her weight, uncomfortable wetness getting worse, a tightness in her chest making itself known at Kahlan's participation, passive though it may have been.

Kahlan just stayed still, resting her chin on Dahlia's shoulder so she could look down into the water and see Cara's hand moving. The flex of muscles and tendons in her friend's wrist was testimony to how strong her fingers worked.

Dahlia enjoyed being in the middle of the two of them, and when Cara increased the pressure on her clit, wiggling her fingers around inside and then squeezing her groin firmly, she came with a loud cry, head thrown back onto Kahlan's shoulder.

Kahlan's eyes went wide as Dahlia's head rested on her, but she didn't take them from the scene beneath the water's surface. Her stomach tightened at the noise Dahlia made, and she squeezed her thighs together, unconsciously pressing herself closer to the moaning woman.

When she calmed, her body finished shaking, Dahlia slowly turned in Kahlan's arms and kissed her.

In shock, Kahlan remained reticent for a few long moments, but when Dahlia's tongue swiped across her bottom lip, she sighed and opened her mouth.

Pleased, Dahlia flicked her tongue inside, tasting the chasteness of the Mother Confessor, and when she pulled back, she dragged her teeth over Kahlan's lower lip, letting go with a cocky grin. "Did you see something you liked, Confessor?" she asked, groaning with disappointment as Cara's fingers slid out of her. She always felt empty when she was no longer filled. An obvious reaction, perhaps, but one much deeper than its physical layer.

Kahlan flushed with embarrassment and started to turn away, but Cara's wet hand around her wrist stopped her.

"Do you want...?" Cara asked, tilting her head to the side.

The Confessor's flush darkened. She closed her eyes, unable to look at Cara's open, uninhibited face. "I..." she whispered, stopping to run her tongue over her lips, tasting Dahlia on them. She wished she could be as free as they seemed to be. Unashamed by desire, unhindered in their taking and giving of pleasure. "I..." she said again, and Cara tugged her gently closer by the wrist. She felt fingertips on her back, feathering as if she were made of glass and would break with the slightest pressure. Her mouth opened in silence, unable to believe Cara was willing to do this with her.

"Allow me to serve you as if you were the Lady Rahl," Cara whispered, bringing Kahlan's hand to her lips and kissing the knuckles. Then she swept Kahlan up by the waist and set her gently on the edge of the baths.

Kahlan's heart fluttered an extra beat, and she kept her eyes closed. "Only for a few minutes," she breathed.

"How many minutes do I get?" Cara asked wickedly, starting to lean down.

"I don't kn-" Kahlan squirmed in anticipation, parting her legs, but before Cara's lips even touched the pale skin of her inner thigh, she felt her magic swirling within her. "No, no!" she gasped, pushing Cara's head away and jumping quickly back into the water.

Confused, but not angry, Cara stood with her head cocked to one side and waited.

Ashamed of her poor self control, Kahlan wiped at a few tears before finally turning back around and approaching Cara. "I want to," she said, "but I can't. Allow me to serve you instead, as if you were the queen."

Dahlia was on the edge of her seat, so to speak, eyes riveted to Cara's face, awaiting her reaction.

"You don't know how," Cara blurted out, overcompensating for her complete and utter shock, and the fact that she did not like to be caught off-guard. As soon as she said it, she sighed and rolled her eyes at herself, putting her hands on her hips. "That is not what I meant to say."

"And yet, it is what you said," Kahlan replied sadly, fighting tears, again, as she turned to leave, again.

Dahlia flashed Cara a murderous glare and moved in front of the Confessor, laying hands to her arms with an encouraging squeeze. "Cara is sometimes stupid when she finds herself out of her element," she explained softly. "At least with you, she did not mean what she said. I, and all of my sisters, have fared much worse."

"I appreciate your candor, Dahlia, but-"

"Don't keep me waiting, Mother Confessor," Cara spoke up from behind her, and when she turned she would find the Mord-Sith on the edge of the bath, not five feet away, with her knees drawn up and her legs apart, slowly working one finger in circles through her obvious arousal.

Kahlan's breath left her in a rush, and she had only to glance at Dahlia's smirking face and her decision was made. Despite her wounded pride, or perhaps in some way because of it, she would do her absolute best to make Cara take back those words. The Mother Confessor may be chaste and inexperienced, but that did not mean she wasn't eager and willing to change that. And of course Cara would taunt her with sexuality rather than offer an apology.

Shaking her head, Kahlan strode to the Mord-Sith and grasped her wrist, firmly pulling it away from its teasing explorations, and replaced it with her own hand. She couldn't help gasping at how slick Cara was, and her eyes found sparkling ones fixed on her face. "You're so... warm," she offered, feeling around until she located what she thought was Cara's entrance. She gave a tentative, experimental push, and her finger was instantly enveloped by wet, pulsing heat.

Cara's hips jerked. "Yes," she hissed through clenched teeth at the invasion. "More."

Kahlan fumbled around as she tried to add another finger, finally able to slide it in alongside the first, and pressed them both deep. She might have things to learn as she went, but once she got the hang of something, she typically excelled at it.

Cara grunted her approval, putting her hands on her knees both to keep them apart, and also to prevent doing something obscenely Mord-Sith, like grabbing Kahlan's hair and forcing her head down before she was ready.

"It's not enough, is it?" Kahlan asked in a quiet, determined voice.

"No," Cara admitted. "But it's..." What could she say? What could she say? "...nice. It still feels pleasurable."

Dahlia cringed. Even Denna had better social skills than Cara.

Kahlan wasn't bothered by it, though. She had a much easier time adding another finger now that she'd found a rhythm, and pushed a third inside none too gently. "What else?" she asked, surprised at how rough her voice sounded.

Cara bit her lip until she drew blood to keep her hands on her knees. When the urge to grab Kahlan had passed, she loosed her jaw. "Rub my clit."

Kahlan knew what that was, but wasn't sure she'd be able to find it. She slid her thumb around until she felt Cara twitch. "There?"

"Mm," Cara confirmed.

Kahlan tried to stay on the little bud, but it was so slippery, she kept losing it. With a growl of frustration, she moved her thumb out of the way and dropped her head down, sucking the elusive target into her mouth.

Cara made a very undignified noise and a hand shot to the back of Kahlan's head, pressing her closer, hips arching up into her unexpectedly skilled mouth.

Kahlan held nothing back, sucking and flicking her tongue, covering as much ground as she could without giving up the leverage she needed to keep her touch _firm_. She pushed her fingers in fast, and out slow, and fast again, alternating speeds while she sucked at Cara's clit like her life depended on it.

Stunned, and filled to breaking point with pleasure, Cara rode Kahlan's hand and clamped her thighs around the Confessor's head, giving a vibrating scream as she released, her body quivering as wave after wave rolled through her.

Kahlan groaned at the thrill of making the Mord-Sith come, and stayed where she was until Cara's thighs released her. As she slipped her fingers free, to a protest from Cara, she smiled. And then hesitantly offered them to Dahlia to lick clean. She didn't know if that was appropriate, but she wanted to share.

One side of Dahlia's mouth quirked up in a smirk as she accepted the offer, snaking her tongue out and around each of Kahlan's three glistening fingers. "You still taste the same," she told Cara.

"It's a very good taste," Kahlan said almost shyly, which was ridicuolous given what she had been doing moments before.

Cara didn't sit up, she just stayed reclined on the ground just outside the bathing pool, arms spread out to her sides. "Who's ready for bed?"

Kahlan and Dahlia both raised their hands.


End file.
